Saturday, May 30, 2009

*I couldn't/didn't breastfeed (remind me to finally get around to posting about that, since I never did...)

*Babywearing hasn't worked out for Evie and I after she left the newborn phase. We both get hot, she dislikes it after the first few minutes, and I don't feel as though I can really get anything done with her in a sling (can't bend over, can't sit down). Plus she's almost 20 pounds now.

*We don't regularly co-sleep, partly because I was afraid of the SIDS/overlay risk when she was a newborn and partly because J can't sleep with her in the room. J is a much more wonderful person when he sleeps.

That leaves me with, what? We don't do CIO (cry it out). That's it? That's my claim to AP parenting? Yikes. Even that has been in jeopardy lately because Evie's separation anxiety has turned her into an insomniac. Thursday night she and I stayed up late watching "Make Me a Supermodel" together until 11:30 PM because I felt better about snuggling and letting her watch TV than staying upstairs and waging the sleep battle. I am a sham.

Moving on.

Obsession: My new obsession is Margaret Wise Brown, author of Goodnight Moon. It all started innocently enough...

* J observed that we'd probably receive 3 or 4 copies of GM as gifts when Evie was born. *We didn't. *I bought the book from Amazon.*Evie loves it.*I read MWB'sBig Red Barn while I was staying with Jen a few months ago.*I loved it.*I bought it from Amazon, along with The Runaway Bunny.*Evie is fine with Barn and Bunny but her heart still belongs to Moon.*I start researching MWB online and discover that she wrote several Little Golden Books.*My mom and I search through the LGBs at a local used bookstore last week and find a copy of The Sailor Dog.*The Sailor Dog is delightful.*I am obsessed.*I join the website http://www.paperbackswap.com just so that I can trade some of my adult library for more of MWB's books.*Yesterday we received in the mail Love Songs of the Little Bear, The Whispering Rabbit, and Mister Dog(all from Paperback Swap).*All three of the books exceeded my expectations for whimsy, illustrations and delightfulness.*I am distressed that Evie is too young to read Little Golden Books yet because she will tear the pages. I'll just have to read them to myself for a couple of years.*I literally search online to discover whether or not there is a MWB fan club I can join (there is not, sadly).*I am ridiculous.

11 comments:

Don't be so hard on yourself! You are a wonderful mother! Wanna know how I know? Because you are keeping this lovely and endearing blog for the sole purpose of your daughter. That is only something a wonderful and caring mother would do!

I had to laugh at your confession.... no one is "one type of parent" and wait until you have another- they are so different it's impossible to be one way with both kids. I think you are a fabulous parent. I remember with Andy feeling like I could raise him by the "book" and now I can't. There is no book for him....

Okay, so I found this funny article that cracked me up- hope you laugh too!

I LOVE "The Sailor Dog"! It was one of my favorites as a child... they have it in a video form, as part of a Golden Books collection, and I always loved it, especially the song at the end. It's a really cute story.

You are in NO WAY a sham!! I won't hear of it! Those AP things you listed---those are just accessories. They're helpful to incorporate, but I've never thought of them as core. You're an awesome AP mom because you are dedicated to communicating with Evie. You listen to her, you respond to her, you don't just compartmentalize her in your life. Hence, you're wonderfully attached, attuned. You're building an incredible foundation now that will last the rest of her life.

How about we call it "child centered" parenting and call it a day! That is the term I use for myself these day. There are aspects of AP that fit for me (co-sleeping, breastfeeding) and others that don't (baby wearing...who can get anything done with the fear of your kid falling out of that scarf and hitting the floor???)I prefer 'child centered' as my term for my parenting style..it gives me permission to change as he grows and adapt to his needs, rather than following someone else's philosophy.

I agree with Deanna - it's more about responsiveness and communication! Btw, if you are interested in a carrier that is more sturdy and can hold 20 pounds pretty comfortably, you might want to check out the Ergo carrier. It's all I use with my babe now that he's so huge.

August 26, 1995--We met at an Alpha Epsilon Pi frat party on the grounds of the University of Virginia. I was a 17-year-old first year student in the College of Arts and Sciences (double major in English and Psychology) and J was a 22-year-old in his first year of graduate school (Engineering, Materials Science)